Everything to Gain
by YoungWriterMe
Summary: Those words seemed to haunt Kyouya after that fateful beach day. She said that he had nothing to gain by being with her, but she couldn't have been more wrong. And now, with the conclusion of the Ouran Fair, thus ending his second year of high school, Kyouya decided that he would show her everything that could be gained, even if it hurt his best friend.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own or have any rights to the Ouran Highschool Host Club manga/anime.

A/N: Hello! It's been a while but I'm back to try again. The beginning of the story takes place in episode 8 of season 1, which is one of my personal favorites. It follows the episode with my take on Kyouya's thoughts. Starting with the next chapter, I'll begin to veer away from the plot of the anime. I hope you enjoy!

"It looks awful gloomy outside there, huh? It looks like it's gonna rain," Hunny noted as he watched the sky darkening through the large, decorative windows of the grand dining room.

"It's not just gloomy outside," Kaoru added from his seat by the window, beside his twin. "Just take a look at Tamaki-senpai." His gaze shifted to one of the many pillars lining the long room where Tamaki sat on the ground, curled into himself, looking quite miserable. Hikaru and Kaoru shared a glance and rolled their eyes.

"Come on, quit moping, boss," Hikaru complained.

"You shouldn't have picked a fight with her in the first place," Kaoru agreed.

Before the Host Club's king had a chance to respond, or the twins had a chance to further badger him, the dining room's double doors opened. Mori had returned with Haruhi, at Hunny's request, and all attention left the sad blond man. Haruhi wore a long, flowing, blush colored dress, with frills around the neckline and sleeves, and a small, red bow on her chest. The eyes of all of the club's members were glued to her, rarely having seen her in feminine clothing, and a hush took the room.

But of course, silence never lasted long with the twins around. "Haruhi! Where'd you get that dress?" they asked in sync as they, along with Hunny, crowded her for a closer look.

Haruhi shook her head, glancing down at the uncharacteristic garment. "From my dad," she explained, sounding only slightly irritated. "He must have repacked my bags when I wasn't looking." She touched the bow lightly with both hands. "He's always trying to get me to wear this frilly stuff."

"That's awesome!" the twins cheered, grinning widely. "Way to go, dad!"

"You look so cute, Haru-chan!" Hunny cooed.

Eventually, everyone took their seats. The tension in the room was palpable. No one was entirely sure how it happened, but Haruhi ended up sitting directly beside Tamaki. He looked like a spooked animal while she still had the same look of mild irritation that she had gotten while talking about her father moments before.

Finally breaking the heavy silence, Hikaru mumbled, "Well, this is uncomfortable…" which, of course, was not very helpful.

"Yeah," Kaoru agreed. "Kind of awkward…"

Hunny glanced at Haruhi, forcing a strained smile. "Let's dig in, Haru-chan!" he suggested, trying to brighten the mood. He and Mori each held up one of the large, steaming crabs from the many plates of fresh seafood lining the table. "These are the crabs we caught! I bet they're delicious!"

Wordlessly, Haruhi picked up a crab leg and cracked it open. The sudden, sharp noise caused Tamaki to jump. Kyouya had to resist rolling his eyes. The other second year could be childish at times, but this was getting a bit ridiculous. As he and the others, with the exception of Tamaki, began filling their own plates, Haruhi continued to loudly enjoy the food.

"These crabs taste in-crab-ible!" she praised, her mouth half full of food. "Get it?" It was easy to see that she knew that her passiveness caused her senior great discomfort, and she seemed to relish in it as she ate crab leg after crab leg.

With each new crack, Tamaki seemed to be more and more stressed, maybe even getting close to panic as he resisted the urge to speak to her. Across the table, Kyouya could hear the twins quietly betting on when Tamaki would break.

Finally, unable to stay quiet, Tamaki hesitantly asked, "Don't you think you've had enough? Give it a rest!"

Haruhi picked up another crab leg without looking at him. "Excuse me? I thought that you weren't speaking to me."

When she cracked open the seafood, it was like a punch in the face to the Host Club's king. He whimpered slightly. "You trying to be cute?" he accused. Haruhi shot him a silent glare as Hunny watched, mouth wide open.

Finally having enough of the tension, Tamaki stood from his seat, slamming his napkin down beside his plate. "Okay, fine. I get it. It seems you refuse to admit that you were wrong. See if I care, then. I'm going to bed." He started walking toward the exit, hands in his pockets. "Kyouya, would you show me to my room, please?"

Though he phrased it like a question, Kyouya knew he didn't have a choice. "No problem," he said, dabbing his mouth quickly with his napkin. He had finished eating quite some time ago and was more than happy to return to his own room. They had sat down for dinner so quickly after coming in from the water that he hadn't had the chance to take a shower. "Well, excuse me everyone…"

Once the doors had closed behind them, Tamaki lost his composure. "I can't believe her! Acting like nothing even happened! Why is she doing this to me? She's so mean!" he cried.

Kyouya rolled his eyes, pushing Tamaki toward a door. "Go take a shower and stop being to ridiculous," the vice president instructed, his tone just a hint more gentle than usual. Despite their many differences, Kyouya did have a soft spot for his best friend and didn't like seeing him so upset. He also didn't like having to deal with all of the problems that Tamaki seemed to fabricate so late in the day. Not to mention he still had work to do before he could go to bed.

After a few brief words, and a few sniffles from Tamaki, the two parted ways, closing the doors to their respective rooms. As soon as the door shut, Kyouya let out a breath, leaning against the door. What an absolute headache that this seemingly profitable weekend had become. He took off his glasses, setting them beside his bed, before going to take a short, hot shower.

When Kyouya was suitable clean, he exited the bathroom and pulled on a pair of pants, leaving a towel around his neck to collect the water still dripping from his hair. He sat down on a chair and began drying his hair with the towel.

Almost immediately after he had sat down, a small form burst into his room, into his bathroom, and slammed the door shut. Kyouya considered this for a few moments. Deciding that the only person it could have been was Haruhi, considering the intruder's height, he simply waited for her to return in lieu of calling security. While her appearance was sudden, Kyouya wasn't surprised. After all, the newest host had devoured seemingly half of her body weight in seafood which was bound to make her feel sick, and, unlike the others, this was her first time at the beach house.

Minutes passed before the bathroom door slowly opened. Haruhi stepped out, into the bedroom, hesitantly.

"Are you okay?" His voice startled her and she jumped a bit.

She quickly bowed and said, "I'm apologize, sir. I didn't mean to intrude." She didn't recognize him? Then again, the mistake wasn't unbelievable, as she had never seen him without his glasses. Or half dressed.

"Don't be silly. It's just me," Kyouya clarified, continuing to dry his hair.

Recognition dawned on Haruhi's face, her eyes widening slightly. "Kyouya-senpai?" She stopped for a moment, glancing down at her feet. "Kyouya-senpai, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to make everyone worry about me today." It seemed that she was finally starting to understand why Tamaki had been so upset.

"Thanks, but I wasn't especially worried," Kyouya responded passively, moving to his feet. He took a drink from the water bottle that sat on the table beside him. "Although, I did have a hard time separating Kaoru and Hikaru from those two punks." Kyouya had reached the cliff just after the twins only to see the younger club members beating the intruders quite violently. He honestly hadn't known that they were so strong, but it seemed that their anger acted as fuel for their aggressive actions. "They almost beat them half to death," he chuckled. And Kyouya might have let them, if not for the legal problems it would have caused.

Although he may not have been worried when Haruhi was pushed from the cliff, he was enraged. She was a valued member of their club, so of course her wellbeing was important. That's what Kyouya told himself, anyway. She was an asset that needed to be protected. But even he didn't believe that was the only cause for his anger.

Haruhi began to look uncomfortable as he continued. "And because of you, I had to send each of the girls a bouquet of flowers to apologize." Kyouya set down the water and moved casually across the room. "They've been looking forward to this trip, and we don't want to disappoint them.

"I'll pay you back for the flowers, senpai," Haruhi offered as she watched him stop beside a set of light switches.

Kyouya almost laughed. "Each bouquet cost me 50,000 yen. That's a grand total of 600,000 yen, Haruhi." Kyouya placed his hand on the dimmer switch for the main light and slowly moved it down.

He turned to face her in the near darkness, he innocent, doe-like features turned to look up at him. "Uh, why'd you turn the lights off…?"

Kyouya felt his pulse begin to race. The others always ogled over Haruhi, especially when she wore feminine clothing, calling her cute and comparing her to a doll. But here, in his room, all the lights off, Kyouya couldn't imagine any word being enough to describe her beauty. Her soft features, big eyes…

"If you want…" he said, lowering his face toward hers, "You can pay me back with your body." Kyouya grabbed her wrist as she let out a cry and tossed her onto the bed beneath him. His bed.

"Surely you aren't so naive as to believe a person's sex doesn't matter. You've left yourself completely defenseless against me." It was almost too perfect. She wasn't fighting, wasn't afraid. Could it be that she also…?

"Ah…" The startled expression she wore changed to one of understanding. "You won't do it, Kyouya-senpai." Kyouya pulled back ever so slightly, unprepared for her words. This was not one of the scenarios he had imagined this situation to take. "Because it wouldn't do you any good. You wouldn't gain anything from it."

Kyouya couldn't conceal his slight smile. "You're right." But she wasn't. She couldn't have been anymore wrong. Nevertheless, he shifted away from her, sitting on the edge of the bed while she still lay where he had tossed her, watching him. "You're a fascinating young woman Haruhi." He watched out of the corner of his eye as she sat up.

"But I've learned something from this," Haruhi concluded. Kyouya glanced at her, putting his glasses on. "I never realized what a nice guy you are, senpai." He chuckled darkly in his head. Nice guy? What kind of a nice guy would handle a woman the way he had? Now that everything was becoming calm again, Kyouya felt uncomfortable with his actions. He had lost control of himself, something he never let happen. "You're just trying to prove what Tamaki-senpai said earlier."

Of course her thoughts went straight to him. Tamaki. His best friend. The one man to which he always seemed to come second. Kyouya rose to his feet, looking away.

Haruhi continued, "I know you're trying to prove his point, that you're just posing as the bad guy.

Before Kyouya had a chance to think about her words, a soft knocking came from the door. "Kyouya?" called Tamaki as he opened the door. "Do you have any lotion? This sunburn is worse than I-" The blond second year stopped mid sentence as he realized the scene before him. Kyouya fought the urge to laugh. How it must have looked to him, with Kyouya half dressed, with Haruhi sitting on his bed, with the lights off, Kyouya could only imagine what was going through Tamaki's head.

The desire to laugh was quickly extinguished as shock in Tamaki's lavender eyes melted into a look of hurt, of betrayal. And then to fury. Any sympathy or regret that Kyouya may have begun to feel was gone in an instant. "You bastard-!" Kyouya cut Tamaki off, hitting him roughly in the face with a tube of lotion.

"Here. Use as much as you want, you big goof," Kyouya said as he walked past Tamaki and out of the room, letting the door close behind him. Nothing he could say would have calmed Tamaki, not when he was emotional and irrational. Better to let him cool off, even if it meant leaving him with Haruhi. Haruhi… He replayed the scene in his head, thought about what she said, and one thing kept repeating itself: "Nothing to be gained from it, huh?" Kyouya said softly to himself as he walked down the hallway. "An interesting thought, in its own way…"

I hope you enjoyed the beginning of the story! I'd love to hear your feedback, and thoughts on where the story could go! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello again! Thanks for reading the second chapter! This chapter begins at the end of the anime, with the conclusion of the Ouran fair. I hope you enjoy!

"Stop the car," Kyouya instructed sharply and the car came to a halt on the side of the road. He, along with Mori, Hunny, Hikaru, and Kaoru. The twins and Hunny raced away, toward the river where Tamaki and Haruhi stood in the shallow water, dripping wet. Kyouya watched the happy reunion in the water and smiled, pushing his glasses up. "Oh man, he's such a moron.." Mori nodded in agreement, a rare smile also lightening his features.

Kyouya glanced up at the bridge in time to see the car belonging to Ms. Eclair Tonnare speeding away. He looked back to the hugging, dripping members of his club and shook his head, still smiling. Everything worked out, not that he was surprised. There was a special bond between the members of the host club. "If you care to remember," he called to them. "We have quests waiting for us."

The drive back to the school didn't take too long, though all seven of them wouldn't have fit in the car, so an unhappy Tamaki and an irritated Hikaru had to wait for another car to arrive. Kaoru also stayed behind, opting to try to calm down his brother. Kyouya smiled to himself, remembering the ensuing conversation between himself and Tamaki:

"If Kaoru is staying, then there's room for me!" Tamaki had announced, looking like an excited puppy.

Kyouya had adjusted his glasses on his expressionless face, replying, "Sorry, all full."

"But wait! There's only four-" Tamaki had started to argue, but the end of his objection was muffled as Kyouya had rolled up the window, instructing the driver to go. Haruhi and Hunny had laughed, watching as Tamaki tried to chase the car.

But now, everyone had returned and changed into the final costumes of the day. Now the final event of the day, the dance, was in full swing. Kyouya watched as Haruhi was twirled and passed from Hunny to Mori, to Kaoru, and then to Hikaru. Kyouya couldn't help but laugh as Haruhi stepped on the foot of the already injured Hikaru. She certainly wasn't the most graceful dancer, but she certainly looked lovely, the skirt of her dress moving elegantly as she moved. The gentle pink color of the dress reminded him of another pink dress he had seen her in, and the events that had occured the day she had worn it.

Haruhi wasn't the only thing on his mind at the moment. At some point during the day, his father, who had of so recently smacked across the face in public, would have been made aware that it was not the Tonnare company that had purchased the family business, but a student investor by the name of K. O. Kyouya smirked, imagining his father's face when he had finally put the pieces together, realizing that it was his own son, his youngest son, who had bought the company and promptly threw it back in his face. After all, with all the the investments he had made, Kyouya didn't need the company. He didn't need his father. But with the purchase of the company, his father now needed him.

Kyouya was pulled from his thoughts was he was Haruhi move from Hikaru, about to take Tamaki's hand. He swiftly cut in, twirling away with Haruhi. The smile on the female host's face was enchanting. She looked so purely happy, looking up at him. He wondered if she thought about the last time they were so close. After a few moments, he gave in to Tamaki's angry, outraged motions and allowed him to take his place.

His smile grew as he watched the looks of surprise on both Tamaki and Haruhi's faces. He gave a brief bow before melting into the crowd.

No, Kyouya didn't need his father's company. Not that he had time to run it. Not between school and the club. And his latest challenge. Fireworks began to burst overhead and the club members gathered together to watch. Kyouya looked at Haruhi, still in Tamaki's arms, and his resolve was furthered. He would pursue Haruhi. Even if it put his relationship with his best friend at risk.

It was barely a week into summer vacation and already Tamaki was calling at the crack of dawn. Apparently a commoner's carnival had come to town and Tamaki insisted that they all go. After some harsh words, and some whimpered apologies, Kyouya agreed to meet Tamaki and the rest of the club. But not until after ten.

Tamaki had such a carefree life, but Kyouya did not. Even though school was out for the moment, there was summer work to complete, as well as work for the club, and personal work the Kyouya needed to complete. He sighed to himself as he buttoned up his shirt. The work would have to wait, even if it meant he would be up until dawn working.

When Kyouya reached the foyer, Tamaki and the twins were already waiting.

"Mon ami!" Tamaki greeted his friend, much too loudly of course.

Kyouya shot him a glare and the blond host quickly became quiet.

"Where are Mori-senapi and Hunny-senpai?" Kyouya asked, adjusting his glasses.

Tamaki's head drooped at the question. "They're not coming…" he mumbled, looking quite defeated. "They have some college thing or whatever…" The twins snickered behind him.

Kyouya rolled his eyes. "You can't expect everyone to drop everything when you call," he sighed. "Now get out of my house."

The look of shock and horror on Tamaki's face was laughable. "What?! Have I made you upset? I'm so sorry, Kyouya! I won't call so early next time! I won't-"

Kyouya pushed him gently toward the door. "If we don't leave, we can't go to this carnival, now can we?"

After picking up Haruhi, who was not made aware of the days plans, and not pleased by the unannounced visit, the five hosts made there way to the carnival.

Stopping just beyond the front gate, the group stopped to take in the atmosphere. Kyouya had visited amusement parks and the like before, but this was different. It was much smaller, far more filthy, and the smells were stronger.

When Kyouya turned to ask Tamaki what the plan was, he was unsurprised to see the king and the twins running off. The three could be so childish, especially when it came to commoners' activities. He was surprised, however, to see that, in their excitement, they had left Haruhi behind. Kyouya glanced at her to see a look of irritation growing on her face.

"They drag me all the way out here, and then what? They run off without me. Great," she grumbled, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "I don't even like carnivals all that much…"

"I suppose we should try to find them," Kyouya sighed. Haruhi nodded in agreement and the two set off.

Small children ran by, laughing, racing from ride to ride. Teenagers loitered by game stalls and food trucks. Parents watched vigilantly, keeping close track of their kids.

"Most of these rides are too small for high schoolers," Haruhi noted, still sounding less than pleased. "Where did they disappear to?"

Kyouya stopped at one of the food trucks, looking curiously at the menu. "These prices are outrageous considering the quality of the food and their target clients…" he mused.

"Everything is expensive at carnivals," Haruhi commented, stopping beside him. "But kids really love this stuff. My dad and I always got candy apples when I was younger."

Kyouya looked in through the window of the food truck, spotting what must have been the candy apples to which she referred. Though he wasn't exactly sure why, he decided to buy two of them, one for Haruhi and one for himself.

Haruhi looked surprised when he turned and handed her one of the bright red sweets. "Uh, thanks, Kyouya-senpai." She inspected it for a moment before taking a bite. Kyouya turned his attention to his own apple. He attempted to take a bite and was surprised to discover that the red substance on the outside of the apple was quite sticky.

Noticing him struggling with the treat, Haruhi smiled a bit. "Yeah, they're kind of tough to eat. The candy on the outside always gets stuck to my teeth. You have to bite pretty hard."

Kyouya glanced at her before trying again. The candy coating was sickly sweet but was a pleasant match for the sour of the apple. "Not too bad…"

"Have you ever been to a carnival before, senapi?" Haruhi asked, looking up at him between bites.

"Not one like this," Kyouya answered, a bit vague.

Realizing he didn't plan to expand on his answer, Haruhi nodded. "I used to come here as a kid, but mostly because my dad liked bringing me. I'm not really a fan of the rides."

Kyouya glanced around at the rides that were nearby. "They don't seem to be constructed very well."  
"Well, that's because after the carnival is over, the workers take them apart to move them to the next carnival or festival," Haruhi explained.

That seemed less than safe to Kyouya, but he didn't really care. When the two finished their apples, they continued on their less-than-diligent search for Tamaki, Kaoru, and Hikaru. They finally came across Hikaru sitting at a picnic table, looking upset.

"Hikaru?" Kyouya said, getting the twin's attention.

"Oh, hey," he greeted Kyouya and Haruhi. "I was wondering where you guys wandered off to."

Haruhi glared at him. Before she could snap at him, Kyouya asked "Where are Tamaki and Kaoru?"

Hikaru nodded toward a roller coaster nearby. "They wouldn't let me on because of my arm.." he grumbled. His arm was still in a cast from when he had fractured it after falling out of the carriage at the Ouran fair.

"Well, I'm sure they'll be back soon," Haruhi said. Kyouya glanced at her. Any and all irritation and displeasure were gone. Of course it was. Hikaru was upset that he couldn't be with Kaoru, so of course Haruhi was willing to overlook the fact they had left her behind. Kyouya was always impressed by the way she could get past her own emotions for her friends.

Suddenly, a woman nearby screamed and all three hosts searched for the cause.

"No!" It was Hikaru who was the first to see it. The roller coaster that Tamaki and Kaoru were on had stopped at the top of the highest hill, and it was clear by the panic that it was stuck.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru wailed, sprinting toward the ride. Kyouya and Haruhi hurried after him. When they caught up, Hikaru had the ride operator by the front of his shirt and was screaming at him. "What do you mean there's nothing you can do? Isn't this your job?!"

"Hikaru!" Haruhi snapped, roughly grabbing his arm. "Stop! It's not his fault! You're not helping!"

While Haruhi attempted to save the poor man from Hikaru's wrath, Kyouya pulled out his phone.

"Hello, yes. Yes, well, I'm at a carnival, I'm sure you can track my GPS, and it seems two of my friends are stuck on a ride that has inexplicably stopped. Alright, excellent. Thank you." Kyouya put his phone away and adjusted his glasses. "Hikaru, Haruhi, help is on the way. It should just be a few minutes."

Haruhi shot Kyouya an appreciative look that made his heart beat a bit faster for a moment. She really was an incredible woman. She had successfully subdued Hikaru and was now attempting to guide him back to the picnic table, though that seemed to me a far more challenging quest.

A few moments later, loud sirens could be heard. Kyouya looked toward the entrance in time to see the emergency vehicles arriving and people being moved out of their way. Haruhi followed his gaze, looking relieved, and then a bit confused. "Is that fire truck completely black...?" she asked, looking to Kyouya. He gave her a moment to think about it and she dead panned. "Your family…?"

Kyoya nodded. "The Black Onion Squad is equipped with all vital emergency vehicles and equipment."

Haruhi stared at him blankly for a minute until the fire truck arrived. When it did, one of the Black Onion Squad members hurried to Kyouya. "Your priority is to retrieve Tamaki Suoh and Kaoru Hitachiin, and then you can focus on the others," Kyouya instructed.

"Yes, Ootori-sama," the man said with a quick bow before running back to his team. Kyouya watched as the ladder began to expand toward the trapped carnival patrons.

The first to be retrieved was Tamaki. Kyouya could hear him blubbering before he even reached the ground. When he did, he leaped onto Kyouya, holding on tight and sobbing. "Oh, Kyouya!" he cried. "You're my hero! My hero! Mon sauveur!"

Kyouya chuckled lightly. "Get off me, you big dummy. You were never in any real danger anyway."

If one thought the 'reunion' between the two friends were dramatic, they would be shocked at the sight that occured when Kaoru was retrieved.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru wailed, trying to climb onto the fire truck to reach his brother.

"Hikaru, be careful!" Kaoru called as he was helped down to the ground.

The two rushed to each other, embracing tightly. "Oh, Kaoru, I thought I'd lost you!" Hikaru wailed, his eyes full of tears. "Never scare me like that again!"

"I'm so sorry, Hikaru! It's okay! I'm okay!" Kaoru tried to soothe his twin, holding him close.

Hikaru pulled his head back a bit to look Kaoru in his eyes. "You're everything, Kaoru. If I would have lost you…"

Kaoru smiled softly, resting his forehead against Hikaru's. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

It's unclear as to when the large group of girls had gathered around the twins, but it was at this point that they could no longer resist the 'brotherly love' and exploded into flames of moe, screaming and clapping at the forbidden display.

Of course, this was not an act put on to impress the girls. After knowing them for so long, it was easy for Kyouya to see when the emotions between Hikaru and Kaoru were real. He glanced at Haruhi, who was raptly watching the boys, not in the way the other girls were, but with a relaxed smile. The twins were Haruhi's best friends, so of course she was feeling better now that the brothers were together again.

Kyouya finally managed to pry himself out of the idiot king's arms as the fire truck departed and the crowd began to disperse. Now that the excitement was over, Kyouya took a moment to check his phone: there were a couple missed calls and an abundance of unread emails. Not to mention the fact that the day was already half over. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Uh, Kyouya-senpai?" He looked away from his phone to see Haruhi trying to get his attention. She was holding a few coins in one hand, offering them to him. "I forgot to pay you for the apple earlier."

Putting his phone away, Kyouya shook his head. "It's fine." Haruhi looked a bit confused, which was to be expected. Since her first introduction with the host club, every minor transgression and expense had diligently recorded for her to repay. Kyouya looked away, his neck growing warm as she continued to stare.

"Tamaki, we should probably get going," Kyouya decided, avoiding further conversation with the female host.

Tamaki looked immensely disappointed. "Already?" he whined like a child, having already forgotten his earlier trauma.

"Yes. Although you may not, others have things they need to be doing. We can't play with you all day."

The hosts piled back into Tamaki's family car, Tamaki and the twins chattering about the events of the day. Apparently the three had ridden several rides in the short time they were there. When the car arrived at the Hitachiin estate, Tamaki got out to walk Hikaru and Kaoru to the door, leaving Kyouya and Haruhi alone.

Kyouya could feel her eyes still on him, studying him. She was confused, but Kyouya offered no explanation for his actions. After a few tense moments, he finally lowered his phone and turned to look at her.

"Do you need something, Haruhi?"

Another silent moment passed, and then "You can be a nice guy, Kyouya-senapi."

Judging by the tone in her voice, Haruhi wasn't just thinking about the apple. "Is that so?"

He turned back to the email he had been writing, but he found it difficult to concentrate. Turning back toward her, Kyouya said "Haruhi, I-"

Tamaki pulled the car door open, hopping in on the other side of Haruhi. "Off to Haruhi's house!" he chimed. "And then- Uh, is everything okay?" His cheerful, sing-song voice was replaced with hesitation and uncertainty.

Kyouya realized that he was looking at Haruhi with an uncharacteristic intensity. He shifted his gaze an casually as possible back to his phone. "Why wouldn't it be?" he asked, typing the last few words before pressing send. "Let's get going. I have a lot of work to finish."

The ride to Haruhi's house was quiet with only a few words exchanged by Haruhi and Tamaki. When Tamaki returned to the car after walking Haruhi to her door, he watched Kyouya. His gaze was heavy.

Finally, Kyouya sighed, putting his phone away entirely. "Do you need something, Tamaki?"

"Is something up with you and Haruhi?" Kyouya expected panic, worry, but not subdued and quiet.

"What are you talking about?" he responded, a bit annoyed. He could deal with almost every one of Tamaki's crazy, overly heightened emotions, but Kyouya was always unsettled when Tamaki acted serious.

"I'm not blind, Kyouya."

Kyouya could feel the tension heightening in the vehicle. There was no way of talking his way out of this.

"What do you want me to say, Tamaki?"

"I want you to tell me the truth, Kyouya. Things have been changing, since the fair. You've been changing. I just need to know…"

Kyouya straightened his shoulders a bit and adjusted his glasses.

"...are you mad at Haruhi?"

What? Kyouya couldn't believe his ears. Mad at Haruhi? So Tamaki didn't know the truth? Kyouya burst out laughing, his eyes watering. It had been a while since something had made him laugh that way.

"What?!" Tamaki was starting to freak out. "Why are you laughing?"

"Stop being such an idiot," Kyouya sighed as his laughter subsided. "There is nothing negative between Haruhi and I. You worry about the most ridiculous things."

So he was still as oblivious as ever. At least that was one thing that had stayed the same.

Thanks for reading chapter two! I would really appreciate feedback! See you for chapter 3!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here's chapter 3! I hope you enjoy!

"Ootori-sama, your father wishes to see you."

Those were the first words that Kyouya heard the morning following the disastrous carnival excursion. Kyouya could not remember the last time that his father had summoned him, especially alone. He knew what it was going to be about: the purchase of the Ootori Group. What else would it possibly be? After dressing, Kyouya made the long walk across the estate to his father's office.

The door to the office was open when he reached it. Kyouya hesitated; the door was never just open. In lieu of the door, Kyouya rapped his knuckles lightly against the doorframe. Yoshio didn't look up from his work as he called, "Come in."

Yoshio's office was much what one would expect, if they knew him. It was meticulously ordered, clean to a fault, and dimly lit. It could be brighter, there were other lights, Yoshio simply chose to leave them off.

Kyouya moved silently across the room to his father's desk. "Have a seat," Yoshio instructed, setting down his pen.

Kyouya did as instructed. "You asked to see me, father?" His tone was formal and a bit cold.

"I've summoned you here to discuss something of great importance," the family head began. Kyouya prepared himself for the shouting that was sure to follow.

"Your marriage."

"What?" Kyouya's composure slipped as he was caught off guard by his father's words. Marriage? That's why he called him there? The important talk he wanted to have first the in the morning? It made no sense to him. Why was Yoshio not screaming at him? Why was he not being punished for buying his father's company out from beneath him? It didn't make any sense.

"Your marriage," Yoshio repeated, unphased. "As you know, Yuuichi is to be married soon, and Akito's marriage has also been arranged."

Kyouya silently noted that Fuyumi was already married, even if his father rarely mentioned her when talking about the rest of his children. Saying something about it, though, would only cause problems. Everyone in the family knew that Yoshio loved his daughter, but was unconcerned about her future as she was not, never had been, and never would be a contender for the family business. Not that Yoshi had control of that anymore.

When Kyouya didn't respond, Yoshio continued. "You will be entering your final year of high school, so now is a fine time to make further plans for your future."

The youngest son remained silent. He always knew this was part of his future. Marriage for children of the aristocracy was rarely about love; it was all about making and securing alliances with other wealthy and powerful families.

"I've decided that Haruhi Fujioka would make a fine wife for you."

If Kyouya had been eating or drinking, he certainly would have choked. "Excuse me?" He had lost all composure.

"Yes. You know her, of course, from your little club. Her grades and future prospects for quite promising. Not to mention that it never hurts to have a lawyer around," Yoshio continued casually. "I just wanted to let you know that I plan to speak with her father. That is all." Finished with the conversation, the Ootori patriarch went back to his work.

Kyouya stood slowly, bowed, and left. He felt like he was walking in a bit of a daze. Haruhi? Of all of the eligible women that his father could have chosen, he picked Haruhi? He tried unraveling his father's train of thought in making that decision, but he couldn't figure it out. Sure, Haruhi was top of her class and had been for many years, and sure, she was certain to get into an excellent college and then an excellent law firm, but there was so much more to gain from other pairings. More to gain…

What was he going to do about Haruhi? He had to talk to her, to tell her, but what would he say? 'Hey, Haruhi. I'd like to take you on a date. By the way, my dad wants us to get married.' There was no way that would go smoothly. Kyouya groaned, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. There was no way she would believe that he was genuinely interested in her now that his father was involved. But if he pretended not to know and ask her out anyway, she would find out the truth eventually.

"I'll just have to tell her the truth," Kyouya decided, placing his glasses back on his face and opening the door to his room.

"The truth about what, Kyouya-kun?" The unmistakable sound of his sister's voice jolted Kyouya from his thoughts. Fuyumi was sitting on his couch with piles of his clothes on either side of her and a steadily growing stack of re-folded clothes on the table in front of her.

Kyouya almost smiled, seeing his sister. Before she married and moved in with her new husband, this was a scene that would have irritated him like no other, but now it was oddly comforting. "Fuyumi-chan. I didn't know you were visiting," he greeted his sister kindly, sitting in the arm chair beside the couch. "Does Shido-san have a meeting with father?"

Fuyumi shook her head, setting down the pair of pants she was folding. "Shido-kun went to America for work, so I decided to come visit," she explained. A normal person would have continued, saying 'I hope you don't mind' or something similar, but not his sister. She was the only one of his siblings that he had a close relationship with. "Now, tell who the truth, Kyouya-kun?"

Kyouya really didn't want to get into that particular topic, but he knew Fuyumi would be stubborn until he told her what she wanted to know. So he did, explaining the situation with Haruhi, and their father's surprise decision.

"Oh, so he finally told you," Fuyumi said, nodding slowly, thoughtfully. "Well, I think-"

"What do you mean, finally told me?" Kyouya interrupted quickly.

Fuyumi blushed a bit. "Oh, well, I mean, father, he told mother about his decision a few days ago, and she happened to mention it to me…"

He rolled his eyes. "Wonderful." It seemed that Kyouya was often the last to know about things in his family. He was the youngest, after all.

"Anyway," Fuyumi continued, still a bit flustered by her slip up. "It sounds like you're in a tough position. But you are right in the you need to tell her the truth. The right way." She didn't give Kyouya an opportunity to ask what she meant. "You can be honest and still get your feelings across if you say it right. Girls like to see a guy's soft side!"

"Haruhi isn't like most girls," Kyouya disagreed.

"Even so. You need to think about your words and how she will take them if you want it to go well," Fuyumi decided. "I got so lucky, falling in love with the man I married, but you're so much luckier! You have to chance to marry someone you love."

"I don't love her, Fuyumi," Kyouya said, standing up. "How could I? I don't really know her yet."

Fuyumi huffed, crossing her arms. "That's not romantic at all, Kyouya! If you act like that, she's gonna-"

Kyouya was already walking out of the room. "Thank you, Fuyumi, but I think I'm all set on advice. See you." He closed the door behind him before she could object to his leaving. Family could be so exhausting.

Now that he could no longer retreat to his room, Kyouya decided that he might as well be on his way. He assumed the Haruhi would be home, as she rarely went out without the club to social events, so he called for Tachibana to bring the car around.

The car stopped a block away from the Fujioka's apartment. Usually, when the club members came to visit in their fancy cars, they attracted a lot of attention, which Kyouya did not want. Kyouya got out of the car and made the short walk to the apartment, hands in his pockets. People he passed still stared, but there wasn't much he could do about that. His expensive clothes stuck out in the less-than-wealthy neighborhood.

Stopping at the door, Kyouya straightened himself up, adjusting his glasses and fixing his hair. Three firm knocks, some muffled noises from inside the apartment, and the door opened. "Yeah?"

In Kyouya's experience, Ryoji Fujioka had three distinct appearances. The first reserved for formal events in which he chose to wear masculine dress clothes, namely a suit and tie; the second being his every day attire made up of feminine clothing, primarily blouses, skirts, and accessories; the third and final appearance was what Kyouya was seeing now: sweatpants and t-shirts.

"Hello, Ranka-san," Kyouya greeted Haruhi's father, bowing politely.

Ranka immediately perked up. "Oh, Kyouya-kun!" he cooed, clasping his hands together. "How lovely to see you! I actually got a call from your father earlier. Any idea why he wants to meet with me?"

"May I come in?" Kyouya avoided the question.

"Of course! How rude of me. Come in, come in!"

Kyouya settled himself on the Fujioka's couch while Ranka prepared some tea. "I assume you're here to see Haruhi, but she ran to the store. She should be back before too long," Ranka explained, sitting across from Kyouya.

"That's fine. I can wait," Kyouya replied, taking a sip of the tea.

"So where are the others?" Ranka asked curiously. "Not that I mind not having that Tamaki boy around."

Kyouya chuckled. "It's just me today. I needed to speak to Haruhi."  
"Is it related to whatever your father wanted to talk to me about? It's not about her scholarship or anything, is it?" Ranka fretted, running a nervous hand through his hair.

"No, nothing like that," Kyouya assured him. "It's more of a...personal matter."

Ranka cocked his head to one side. "Personal? I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

"I would like the opportunity to court your daughter, Ranka-san."

There were a few seconds of silence as Ranka thought about Kyouya's words before he squealed with delight. "Oh, Kyouya! I always hoped it would be you! Well, anyone but Tamaki, but still! So that's what you wanted to ask Haruhi!" His warm smile faltered a bit. "I understand why you weren't planning to ask me, since she would never make a decision based solely on what I though. But that still doesn't explain why your father wants to meet with me."

Kyouya frowned a bit, not wanting to talk about his father's intentions. "My father wants-"

Thankfully, the two were interrupted as the front door opened and Haruhi called, "Dad! I'm home!" She closed the door behind her then froze, dropping her shopping bags. "Kyouya-senpai?"

Ranka jumped up and ran to hug his daughter. "Haruhi! You're back! Wonderful! Here, let me take those bags to the kitchen, and you and Kyouya-kun can talk." He picked up the bags quickly, backing out of the room. "I have to get ready to meet-" Ranka stopped midsentence, glancing at Kyouya. "I have to get ready for an appointment, so if you'll excuse me…"

The two were now alone, Kyouya sipping at his tea while Haruhi still lingered awkwardly by the door. "Uh, hi, Kyouya-senpai. Did you need something?"

Kyouya shifted to sit at one end of the sofa. "Why don't you come sit down, Haruhi?" He felt his throat tighten a bit as he watched color creep to her cheeks. He'd never felt so nervous before. No one else would be able to tell that, though, through his usual passive expression and unreadable eyes.

Haruhi sat down on the couch beside him, her eyes looking anywhere but at him. A part of him suddenly began to wonder if this might be a terrible idea. If she said no, it would greatly impact their relationship, and their friends would notice. Either way, his affections would be made public.

"Haruhi, I was hoping you would go to lunch with me," Kyouya said, just as he had planned to say. So far, so good.

The petite girl looked a bit confused, turning to look at him. "Go to lunch with you?" she echoed. "Like…?" She trailed off. The normally put together honor student was without words as the blush on her cheeks continued to deepen.

"A date," Kyouya clarified, setting down the tea cup. "I would like to go on a date with you. What do you say?" He could feel his heart beating hard in his chest. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this way.

Haruhi stared at him, her brown eyes wide and her lips parted. It seemed like eons, her staring at him, him waiting for a response. Finally, she spoke.

"Okay."

Kyouya smiled slightly. It wasn't especially elegant but she had said yes. This would bring about further problems, Kyouya knew, but for now, she said yes, and that's what mattered. "Okay. Would you like to go now?"

"Now? Really?" Haruhi asked, fidgeting a bit.

Kyouya adjusted his glasses. "Unless you had other plans."

Haruhi shook her head. "I need a few minutes to change. It that okay?"

When he nodded, she hurried out of the room. Ranka appeared a second later. "She said yes!" the doting father squealed. Ranka was now dressed, make up on, and wig in place. "This is so wonderful! I should go make sure she doesn't need any help."

"Ranka, I should tell you something first. About my father."

Ranka was already half out of the room. Kyouya must have sounded quite serious because Ranka's excitement seemed to fizzle out. "Yes, Kyouya? What is it?

"The reason my father wants to meet with is that he wants to arrange my marriage to Haruhi." Kyouya braced himself for Ranka's reaction.

"What?!" Ranka shouted.

"What?" Haruhi, who had just finished changing at a most unfortunate moment, asked.

'Shit,' thought Kyouya.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I hope you're enjoying the story so far! It's been a lot of fun to write. Let me know what you think! Enjoy the next chapter!

The conversation following Haruhi's accidental eavesdropping was very tense and very uncomfortable for all involved. This was not at all how Kyouya wanted Haruhi to find out about his father's plan. Kyouya tried to explain the situation, that he already had feelings for Haruhi, that his father's announcement was unrelated to this, but nothing seemed to come out right. He cursed himself for not keeping his mouth shut and just letting his father tell Ranka, for not pretending that his father hadn't told him, but that probably wouldn't have ended much better.

Finally, Kyouya ran out of things to say and silence reclaimed the room. After watching Haruhi stare into a tea cup for several minutes, Kyouya stood. "I'll go now. I apologize for the intrusion." He bowed and moved swiftly toward the door, slipping his shoes on.

"Wait!" Kyouya turned to see that Ranka had stood up. Haruhi's father cleared his throat. "I mean, Haruhi looks so cute, and you two already made plans, so you should still go."

Haruhi shot an angry glare at her father.

"It's fine," Kyouya said, shaking his head. "Haruhi, you don't have to-" He stopped when she stood. Was she finally going to yell?

"I'll go," was all she said, smoothing down the skirt of her white sundress, dotted with tiny, pink flowers. If the situation hadn't been so tense, Kyouya might have had a chance to appreciate it. But there was too much else going on to focus on how she looked, no matter how cute.

Kyouya imagined his face must've looked just as surprised as Ranka's. "If you're sure."

Haruhi walked to the door, slid her feet into her sandals, and opened the door without a word.

The walk was silent. Eventually, Haruhi asked, in a small yet confident voice, "Where are we going?"

"I was planning to have lunch in the park," Kyouya said. With any other girl, he would have chosen a nice restaurant, but Haruhi tended to prefer more simple things. "Unless you would prefer something else."

"That's fine."

Kyouya tried to think of something to say but everything he thought of felt fake. They both knew what needed to be discussed. When they finally reached the part, Kyouya took led her to the spot he had discussed with Tachibana. Just as he had asked, Tachibana had laid out a blanket and left a basket.

Haruhi looked surprised when she realized the blanket was their intended destination. "Would you rather eat somewhere else?" Kyouya offered, assuming displeasure was the reason behind her reaction.

"No, this is fine," she said quickly. "I mean, I'm just surprised is all. I wouldn't have guessed you liked picnics, Kyouya-senpai."

The conversation was becoming relatively normal, which was a relief. "I don't often have the opportunity for something like this, so I'm not sure I can say whether I like or dislike picnics."

"Oh."

Kyouya and Haruhi sat down, and Kyouya opened the basket, beginning to pull out food. He glanced at Haruhi to see her deadpanned expression.

"Only a rich person would bring this much fancy food to a picnic," she mumbled.

Kyouya smiled a bit. "I suppose next time you can pick what we eat."

"Next time?" And everything was suddenly uncomfortable again.

Kyouya finished unloading the food and the two began to eat.

"I want to apologize again. I didn't mean for you to find out like that," Kyouya said, setting his plate down on his lap.

"Find out that your father wants to force us into an arranged marriage?" The causal way she said it stung a bit.

"Yes. But I didn't bring that up originally because I didn't want you to think that was the reason I asked you on a date," he tried to explain.

"Right. You just happen to want to confess your feelings for me the same day your father wants to set us up." Kyouya was starting to understand how Tamaki felt when Haruhi was angry with him. She could be quite scary when she wanted to be.

"I understand how it looks." Kyouya paused for a moment. "But I think you know it really was just a coincidence."

"Do I?" Haruhi set her plate on the blanket. "How would you possibly know what I'm thinking? There's no way it's a coincidence. That doesn't make any sense. It's not like you've ever tried to tell me before now."

"Haven't I?" Kyouya's voice became softer. "I was going to, yesterday. In the car."

Realization came over her features. "And then Tamaki…"

Kyouya nodded. "And then Tamaki."

They both picked up their plates again, nibbling at the food. Kyouya wasn't sure about Haruhi, but he had no appetite with all of the stress.

"And I had no input with my father. Really. I know you would never agree to something like an arranged marriage."

Haruhi stopped, her chopsticks midway between her plate and her mouth. "Well of course I wouldn't. No sane person would."

"I don't have a choice," Kyouya noted. "I've known since I was young that I would marry whoever my father decided. Why do you think so few people date at Ouran? That's the way of my world."

Haruhi set down her plate again. "Of course you have a choice. Everyone has a choice."

Kyouya smiled a bit. "I suppose that's true."

The natural-type host sighed, setting her plate down again. "I'll never understand rich people. So you had to wait for your father's permission to ask me out?"

Kyouya shook his head. "That's not why."

"Then why...? Oh." Haruhi realized what other barrier stood in Kyouya's way. "Tamaki-senpai…"

Kyouya took a drink from his bottle of green tea. "Yes."

Haruhi stared at the food on her plate for a few moments, thinking. "I guess what I still don't understand is why."

"Why what?"

"Why you wanted to go on a date with me. Why your father is interested in me."

"Well, that's easy enough. You're at the top of your class, your test scores are superb, you'll be able to get into almost any college of your choosing, and he thinks you would make a positive addition to the Ootori name."

Kyouya was surprised that she seemed angry with his explanation.

"So that's it? A good addition to the Ootori name? He wants me to marry you to, what, make you look good?" she accused, her tone becoming sharp.

"In a way, yes."

That was most obviously the wrong answer. "So he thinks that he can plan my future for me? There's no way in hell!" Haruhi snapped, springing to her feet. "You can tell your father to forget it."

Kyouya moved to his feet, starting to lose his temper as she turned, ready to walk away. She could be so stubborn. Why couldn't she just listen and understand? He reached out, touching her arm. "Haruhi."

She pulled away from him, but stopped, facing him, still fuming. "What do you want, Kyouya-senpai?"

"I don't care what my father wants, Haruhi," Kyouya growled. "But somehow, some way, what he wants and what I want are the same for once."

The anger seemed to melt away from her. "Kyouya-senpai…" He could look into her beautiful, chocolate-colored eyes forever.

Kyouya stepped forward, taking her hand gently in his. When she didn't pull away, he took a step closer until only inches separated them. "You don't have to marry me. But I would like it if you would stay with me."

"S-Senpai…" Haruhi whispered, her face quite red and her breathing quickened.

Kyouya touched his lips to hers, softly, treasuring the moment, the feeling. He had waited so long for this moment. There were so many times he could have and chose not to, but now he was done waiting. He was done worrying about what others would think, worrying about how Tamaki would feel. In that moment, he didn't care about anything else.

When he pulled his head back, Haruhi's eyes stayed shut for another moment. When they did open, the happiness he was in them made him want to kiss her again.

"Haruhi, would you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes…"

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for reading this far! I really appreciate it! I hope you enjoy chapter five!

It was just over a week after Kyouya and Haruhi's date that Tamaki decided that Sunday mornings would now be 'family breakfast' to which attendance was mandatory. Prior to that, there was nothing of significance. Ranka met with Yoshio and explained, much to Kyouya's father's displeasure that he did not, in fact, control what his daughter did, far less who she married, or even _if _she married. Yoshio was pacified, though, when he discovered that the two high schoolers were now dating, much to Kyouya's chagrin.

After snoozing his alarm three times, Kyouya was finally awoken when a very timid maid opened the black out curtains. He felt bad, later, about the terrifying glare he shot her way, causing her to squeak and flee, especially as she was only doing as he had asked the day before.

Kyouya took his time dressing, preparing physically and mentally for what was to come. When he and Haruhi had spoken the day before, as they were now in daily contact, Kyouya had suggested they wait to tell Tamaki. It was a new relationship after all. Haruhi had vehemently disagreed, saying it would be better to tell Tamaki and the others than risk them finding out on their own.

The meeting today was certain to be uncomfortable. Kyouya could predict how each of the other hosts would respond. Tamaki would react with a mix of fury and devastation. He would end up yelling and crying. Hikaru would be furious, and Kaoru wouldn't be thrilled, but the less volatile twin would put his own emotions aside for his brother's sake. Hunny would be happy, but how he expressed it would depend on how terrifying the situation became. Mori would be neutral, as usual. While Tamaki's and the twins' romantic attraction to the female host was fairly easy to see, Kyouya suspected the wild-type host also had some sort of feelings for her, though they seemed more familial than romantic.

His phone vibrated beside the sink and Kyoya set down his hair brush to pick it up.

1 NEW MESSAGE: Fujioka Haruhi

Good morning!

Kyouya smiled, responding with a 'good morning' of his own. While the two certainly were not attached at the hip, and they were far from acting like love birds, the formality of their interactions was dropping. Kyouya sometimes imagined the two of them acting like typical, love-struck teenagers, sending heart emojis and whatnot, but that wasn't him, and it certainly wasn't Haruhi.

After departing from his family home, Kyouya instructed Tachibana to stop at the Fujioka's apartment. Haruhi had agreed to let him pick her up on his way to Tamaki's. Each week, as Tamaki had explained, they would have their 'family breakfast' at a different location, and the first week would be at 'daddy's' house, the second estate of the Suoh family. After breaking off his forced engagement of Ms. Eclair Tonnerre, his grandmother's brief tolerance of her son's bastard child came to an immediate end. Yuzuru had offered to fight the family matriarch, but Tamaki was just fine where he was, and he didn't want to start anymore trouble.

When the car stopped, Kyouya got out and walked to the apartment door, knocking lightly. Ranka opened the door quickly, smiling warmly at the highschooler. "Why Kyouya-kun! You look wonderful! Haruhi! Kyouya is here! Time to go!"

Haruhi appeared a moment later. While Kyouya had selected a simple tank top and jacket for the casual event, Haruhi had chosen to dress up a bit more, wearing a white blouse with thin, ruffled sleeves, and light pink maxi skirt with a subtle, floral print. There was even a little pin in her hair with a cherry blossom on it.

"You look wonderful, Haruhi," Kyouya commented. He would much rather pull her into his arms and kiss her, but he doubted that her overprotective father would appreciate it.

"You look nice too, senpai," Haruhi replied with a sweet smile.

Apparently even the compliments and smiles were too much for Ranka as he pulled his daughter into a tight hug. "Oh, I hope you have a good time with your little friends, Haruhi! Now, if you need anything, just call me and I'll come get you, okay? Don't forget you don't have to do anything you don't want to do and also-"

"Dad!" Haruhi pushed away from her father, face red. "I'm not a little kid! I'll be fine." When she saw how sad her words made him, she gave him another quick hug. "I'll text you when I get there, okay?"

Ranka sniffled and agreed, finally letting the two leave.

The ride to Tamaki's wasn't overly exciting with only a few words passed between the two. But it wasn't an uncomfortable quiet. Neither were overly talkative to begin with, and they were both tense about what was to come. They were the last to arrive and the others all met them at the door before either had a chance to walk.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki squealed, scooping his 'daughter' into a tight hug. If Kyouya didn't know how Tamaki truly felt about Haruhi, he would laugh at how similar the host club king's actions were to the actions of Haruhi's own father.

"Stop it, Tamaki-senpai!" Haruhi complained, pushing her senior away.

Unphased, Tamaki turned to the other new arrival. "Kyouya! You're finally here! And you brought Haruhi…?" The high school senior's excitement dimmed as his confusion grew. Kyouya readied himself for an accusation from his best friend, but Tamaki's confusion snapped to sadness. "Haruhi! If you needed a ride, you should have called daddy! I know mommy can get you too, and that's okay, but daddy-!"

"Stop it, Tamaki." Kyouya's words came out far more harshly than they should have. All eyes were now on him. He hadn't meant to say anything, but Tamaki's rough handling of his girlfriend, and all of the 'mommy' and 'daddy' talk was too much for his already stressed mind to handle. Kyouya had to think of something to say, something to explain his outburst, to distract the others. "You make me get up first thing in the morning and now you make me stand here by the door? Am I here for breakfast or should I be leaving?" he growled, trying to play up the 'demon king woken up too early' angle.

Tamaki jumped back, eyes wide. "I'm sorry, Kyouya! Here, the food is all ready! Right this way!" Thankfully, the twins also seemed to buy into his act. Mori and Hunny still watched him as the others headed toward the dining room, but Kyouya was less concerned with their reactions.

The staff of the second Suoh estate had prepared the club members a wonderful breakfast. Eggs prepared in a number of ways, sizzling meats, breads and pastries, fresh fruit, and pitchers of juice, milk, and, of course, coffee. When everyone was seated, they were quick to fill their plates. The conversation that went along with the meal was rather mundane: summer plans, school gossip, and other topics of little importance. Kyouya took the opportunity to check emails on his phone, nibbling at the food on his plate. Normally, he would never use his phone during a meal. It was an incredibly rude thing to do. But he needed a distraction, and work seemed like a safe option.

"What do you think, Kyo-chan?" Hunny's words brought his attention back to the group.

"I'm sorry, senpai, what was the question?" Kyouya asked, tucking his phone away and taking a sip of his coffee.

"We were talking about taking a trip together!" Hunny explained, biting into a sweet roll. "Tamaki suggested we go somewhere we can swim! What do you think?"

Kyouya noticed that, while Hunny's voice was cheery as usual, the small man's eyes told a different story. It was easy to forget, with his cutesy exterior, that Mitsukuni Haninozuka was an adult, a master of martial arts, and a very intelligent individual. He was to be the next head of his family, after all. Every person in that room, with the exception of Haruhi, needed to meet the high expectations of their families.

"That sounds like a fine idea, Hunny-senpai," he answered coolly. "It's been a while since we were able to offer our clients an exciting trip." Kyouya could remember the last client trip with start clarity.

Tamaki seemed to sink a bit in his seat. "That's not exactly what I meant…"

Kyouya ignored him. "What were we thinking? The beach? A resort? Visiting a tropical country?"

"Haruhi still doesn't have a passport," Hikaru reminded him. "So it will have to be somewhere in Japan."

Right. Kyouya made a mental note to fix that minor problem. "Of course. So, then…?" He glanced around the table.

"Haruhi, you like the beach more than pools, right?" Kaoru recalled, looking at her for confirmation. When she nodded, he added, "Then we should go to the beach!"

"We could go to your family's beach house again, Kyo-chan!" Hunny piped up. Tamaki cringed a bit, remembering, Kyouya was certain, his fight with Haruhi and the twins' pervert accusations.

Kyouya locked eyes with Haruhi for a moment and he saw a light pink color her cheeks before she was suddenly enthralled by the remaining food on her plate. "That should be fine. When were we thinking?"

"Kaoru and I are busy next weekend," Hikaru commented.

"And Takashi has a tournament with weekend after than!" Hunny chimed in. "So how about the weekend after that? Three weeks from now!"

"That's fine with me," Haruhi said, still pushing the food around on her plate.

Tamaki noticed Haruhi's antisocial behavior and began to look worried. "Is something wrong, Haruhi? Do you not like the food? I can have something else made for you!" he offered quickly, scooting closer to her.

"N-No, Tamaki-senpai, this is fine. Nothing's wrong!" Haruhi said quickly, but her smile was far from convincing, awkward and weak. Tamaki continued to fuss over her, moving even closer, making her increasingly uncomfortable. "Kyouya-!"

All adrenaline, Kyouya moved to his feet, slamming one hand on the table. "Let go of her, damnit! Can't you hear her asking you to get off?"

The following moment reminded Kyouya of a particular time, many months before, when Tamaki had put Haruhi in a similar situation, and Haruhi had called out for Mori to come to her rescue. He had swooped in, just as he would have done for Hunny. But now, instead of calling for her tall, strong friend, she was calling for him. And what really made his heart catch in his throat was that she had left off the honorific from his name, which she had never done before.

"Kyouya…?" Tamaki's voice was hesitant as he glanced between his best friend and Haruhi.

This was not the plan. This was going very, very wrong. Kyouya tried to quickly evaluate his options, how to defuse the situation, but was coming up empty. In the blink of an eye, he had just dug himself into a hole of infinite depth. His frustration was beginning to grow. If that idiot could just keep his hands to himself, none of this would have happened. And now, this was his second outburst of the morning. This was not good.

Taking a slow breath, Kyouya evened out his voice. "She asked for you to let her go," he repeated, sitting back down. Of course, Tamaki had already released his hold on Haruhi and scooted away.

"I was just… Why are you so upset, Kyouya…?" Tamaki asked softly.

It was now or never, Kyouya supposed. "I would appreciate it if you'd keep your hands off of my girlfriend, Tamaki."

If it was possible for the silence to become more intense, it did. Kyouya watched each host's face. Neither Hunny nor Mori looked surprised. Hunny even continued to nibble at a pastry. Kaoru looked shocked as he processed his senior's words. Eventually, Kyouya imagined, the shock would become disappointment. Hikaru's shock was already becoming anger. He was so easy to anger. Tamaki looked to have multiple emotions fighting for control.

"Haruhi, I suppose it's time for us to go." Kyouya stood again, in a calm manner this time, and waited as Haruhi did the same. Before they reached the door, though, the scene behind them unfroze.

"Girlfriend?!" Hikaru shouted, standing so fast that his chair fell to the ground. "What the hell are you talking about, senpai?"

Tamaki seemed to leech off of Hikaru's rage. "Say something!"

Kyouya adjusted his glasses as he turned to face the others. "While it isn't really any of your business, Haruhi and I are dating."

"What do you mean, you're dating?! Haruhi?!" Tamaki drilled Haruhi with a look of desperation.

It must have been the last straw for her, because now it was Haruhi was getting mad. "Yes, Tamaki-senpai. Dating."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Hikaru cried, sweeping his arm across the table and knocking plates to the floor where they shattered. "And why would you choose him?" Kyoya could almost hear the unspoken question that followed: and why had she not chosen Hikaru?

"Hikaru, calm down!" Kaoru begged, tugging at his twin's arm. "Please, Hikaru!"

"Why? Why?" Haruhi yelled back. "Because I don't have to tell you everything about my life! Because I'm allowed to make decisions, whether or not you like it!"

Hikaru charged toward her. "You're supposed to be our friend! _Our_ friend! What are you doing with someone like him?" he spit.

The sound of her hand connecting with his face was as sharp as the crack of a whip. Hikaru's hand moved slowly to his pulsing cheek. Haruhi turned and stormed out of the room. Kyouya's gaze locked with Tamaki's for the briefest of moments before he turned, following Haruhi.

He managed to catch up with her just outside. For being almost a foot shorter than him, Haruhi was fast when she wanted to be. She didn't wait for Tachibana to get out and open her door, wrenching it open herself and slamming it shut. Kyouya joined her, allowing Tachibana to gently shut his door behind him. "Haruhi…"

"I doubt there's anyway that could have gone worse," she sniffed, holding her head in her hands.

Kyouya laid one of his arms across her shoulders. It actually hadn't gone that badly. He had expected yelling, but he had also expected to have greater control over the situation. He longed to say something that might give Haruhi some comfort, but couldn't find the words.

"You know how they are," he sighed, pulling her closer. She was so upset that she let him, pressing her face against his chest. "They'll get over themselves. They always do." Kyouya glanced at his phone. He already had missed calls an unread messages from the two most obnoxious club members. He kissed the top of Haruhi's head.

"I hope so…"

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think! See you in chapter 6!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hello! I hope you're enjoying the story so far! A huge thank you to **lemi** and **Bard of Innail **for leaving such wonderful reviews! Here's chapter six!

After dropping Haruhi off at her home, and briefly explaining what had happened to her father, Kyouya was ready to get back home. Now that everyone knew, he should be able to focus enough to get some work done. When they arrived back at the Ootori estate, Kyouya was furious to see that he had a visitor. What did those idiots want now? How dare they come to his home to further harass him.

As he walked through the front door, one of his family's staff members stopped him. "You have a visitor, Ootori-sama."

"And I suppose you let him into my room?" The staff member visibly flinched. Kyouya didn't wait for a confirmation, pushing past her and going to his suite.

Kyouya opened the door to see Tamaki sitting on his couch, head down, waiting. He looked up as Kyouya entered the room. "Kyouya…"

His friend's tone was cool, uncharacteristically emotionless. "Yes, Tamaki?"

Tamaki straightened himself up. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Well, I was hoping to get some work done. I have a report to finish."

"You know that's not what I mean."

Kyouya lowered himself into the chair adjacent to the sofa. "Is that so?" He knew that he was just riling him up by playing dumb, but he didn't care in the least.

"What do you think you're doing with Haruhi?" Tamaki snapped, glaring at Kyouya.

Kyouya wasn't sure that he'd ever seen his friend this angry. "I already explained that to you, Tamaki. We have decided to pursue a relationship."

"Why?! You're not interested in her! She's just a commoner. What use is she to you?" His voice continued to rise, growing in intensity and volume.

"I'll ask you not to talk about Haruhi as if she were an object to be judged. You know exactly why I'm doing this. If you'd get over this whole ridiculous 'family' thing, you'd realize that you're just angry because I acted on my feelings first."

Tamaki sat back, his expression similar to how Hikaru looked when Haruhi smacked him. "Feelings…?"

Kyouya sighed, taking off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. What an absolute headache. "Think about it, Tamaki. How you treat her. How you act around her. You know those aren't feelings of friendship. You may refuse to acknowledge it, but you've fallen for her. Just like Hikaru, just like Kaoru. Just like me."

"Y-You're using her," Tamaki stuttered, refusing to acknowledge Kyouya's words, refusing to ask himself why he felt the way he did about Haruhi, what those feelings meant.

"We both know that's not true."

He began to get angry again. "You must be! That's the only reason you ever do anything! You only do something if there's something to be gained!"

"You're starting to piss me off," Kyouya snarled. It seemed that he had lost his temper more that morning than he had in the past year. "You need to watch your mouth, Tamaki, before you say something else you'll regret."

Tamaki looked like he was ready to continue, to fight, to scream every nasty thing that could come to mind. And in the blink of an eye, he was crying. It seemed that all of the anger, all of the tension, was too much for the overgrown child. Kyouya sighed again.

"How did you know?" Tamaki whispered, tears still rolling down his cheeks. "How did you know before I even did?"

"Because I know you, Tamaki."

For the next few hours, the two stayed in Kyouya's room, talking. Kyouya answered all of Tamaki's questions with more patience than you ever knew he had. Yes, the relationship was new. No, they hadn't been secretly dating for months. Yes, Kyouya had been interested in her for quite some time. No, he had no ulterior motive. Yes, Haruhi also wanted this. No, he wasn't blackmailing her. There were a few points, like with that last question, that Kyouya seriously considered just killing Tamaki. Not seriously, of course.

Finally, Tamaki stood, still looking unhappy, but at least he was calm. "Okay, Kyouya. I get it. But if you hurt her…"

Kyouya rolled his eyes and ruffled Tamaki's hair. "Stop being an idiot."

Tamaki smiled a bit. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Tamaki."

Kyouya could finally breathe when Tamaki left. He went to his desk, opened his laptop, and began to reread the portion of the report he had written so far before continuing to write.

Hours passed and Kyouya was able to get a decent amount accomplished. He also had the opportunity to text Haruhi some and he was relieved that she was feeling better. It turned out that Mori and Hunny had stopped by with some sweets and gave her their full support of their relationship. Kyouya was pleased with this too. He even exchanged a few messages with the older hosts.

It was beginning to look like everything was fine after all. Unfortunately, the drama was not yet over. There was a panicked knocking on the door to Kyouya's suite. When he opened it, Tachibana bowed to him quickly. "Kyouya-sama, two of your friends are here, and one of them, well, he's trying to peel the siding off of the house and screaming something about you stealing something?" The normally calm Tachibana looked very unsettled. "Would you like me to have them removed?"

Calling on the Black Onion Squad certainly would be the easiest option in this ridiculous situation, but Kyouya knew that he couldn't do that. "No, I'll take care of it. Let them know I won't be needing lunch."

"Of course, Kyouya-sama."

Kyouya made his way across the house, down to the front door. He opened it slowly, having to shut it immediately as a broken piece of siding smacked against the door where his head would have been. He tried again and, this time, he was able to safely exit the house.

"Hikaru, stop!" It was clear that Kaoru had been trying, and failing, to calm his brother.

Hikaru, on the other hand, was trying to tear yet another piece of siding off of the house. And screaming. He could be such a child. "Get out here, Kyouya-senpai! You coward!"

"Could you keep your voice down? I'm right here," Kyouya noted, watching the less sensible twin from a safe distance. "And I'll need to ask you to stop destroying my house."

Hikaru turned quickly, glaring fiercely at Kyouya. "You bastard!" He sounded almost more animal than man. "What the hell do you think you're doing with my Haruhi?!"

To Kyouya's surprise, Kaoru was the one to answer. "_Your_ Haruhi?" he repeated, crossing his arms. It seemed that at least some of the sympathy he had for his brother was gone.

"Yes, Hikaru. _Your _Haruhi?" Kyouya echoed.

Hikaru's eyes darted from the shadow king to his brother and back. "You're avoiding the question!"

Kyouya shook his head. "Am I? Here's what I think," Kyouya began, taking a few steps toward Hikaru. "I think you're the same as Tamaki. I think you also have feelings for Haruhi and were too much of a coward to act on them, so now you're taking your anger at yourself out on me."

The moment that Kyouya knew for certain that he had gone too far was when Hikaru's fist connected with the side of his jaw. They both seemed stunned for a moment, Kyouya surprised the younger man would have the gall to lay his hands on him, and Hikaru shocked by his own actions.

Normally, Kyouya avoided getting his hands dirty. He had an entire private police force for that sort of thing, after all. But with the sort of day he'd been having, he was ready to take matters into his own hands.

"Kyouya-senpai, I-" Hikaru tried to apologize, taking a half step back.

Too little, too late. Kyouya drew back and punched his square on the face, dropping him in an instant. He might not be the strongest, but if he knew anything, Kyouya knew how to win.

"Hikaru!" Kyouya had forgotten about the other twin. Kaoru rushed to his brother's side. Their driver also ran over, quickly checked on his unconscious master, then carried him to the car.

"That was too far, senpai," Kaoru said, frowning. "You know he loses his temper sometimes…"

"Yes, I do. And so do I."

Kaoru glanced back at his car. "I should probably get him home." It was clear that he was anxious to leave. "Want me to write you a check? For the house, I mean." The two glanced at the damage that Hikaru had caused.

Kyouya shook his head. "It's fine. You can repay me by watching him better." The two locked eyes for a moment before Kaoru offered his senior a shallow bow and departed. Kyouya watched the car disappear, touching his throbbing cheek. That was sure to leave a bruise.

After stopping by the kitchen for some ice, Kyouya retreated back to his room. To his chagrin, he was not alone. His brother, Akito, stood beside his bookcase, scanning the titles. "Kyouya, there you are. What happened to your face?" Akito was probably the most casual of the Ootori sons, and the only one with anything resembling a normal sense of humor. "You made someone mad, huh?"

Kyouya walked across the room, dropping himself onto the sofa. "Do you need something, Akito?" The afternoon was only half over and he was already exhausted.

Akito moved to sit as well. "Can't a brother just want to check in, see how things are going?"

Kyouya deadpanned. "Not my brother."

"You don't have to get mean," Akito laughed. "I'm really here because I'm curious about this whole thing between you and father."

"Thing?" Entirely uninterested in the conversation, or any conversation al all for the moment, Kyouya took out his phone.

Akito's tone became cold, more fitting for an Ootori. "The thing where you bought the Ootori group out from under him."

Kyouya sat up a bit straighter, abandoning his half-written email. "It sounds like you already have the facts."

"Yes. But that's all I have. What are you doing, Kyouya? Are you trying to prove something?"

"I am, and I believe that I did," Kyouya replied. What was Akito trying to get at? "I was finished listening to people tell me what I was, who I was. Being a third son is not what defines me."

Akito frowned. "But did you ever stop to think how that makes father look? How that makes Yuuichi look?" Kyouya knew exactly how it made his father look, but he hadn't considered the damage to his brother's name. "How it makes me look? And that ridiculous alius you used? K.O.? You think people aren't going to figure it out?"

Kyouya was silent. Akito was trying to make him feel guilty, but to what end? He still couldn't determine his brother's motivation. "And what do you want me to do?"

"Sell Yuuichi the company."

This was an unexpected turn. "Yuuichi?"

Akito nodded solemnly. "He's the rightful heir. He's the first son."

"If we're talking rightful heirs, then perhaps I'll sign the Ootori group over to Fuyumi," Kyouya argued, sitting back. "She is the first born, after all."

"That's not how things are done," Akito sighed. "You know that, Kyouya. Why do you have to be so difficult?"

"I think I'm finished with being worried about how things are done."

"Is that why you're dating the girl that father picked for you?" Akito sneered, hoping to hit a sore spot.

Kyouya couldn't help but laugh. "You won't win here, Akito. Why are you even doing this? This isn't you." Suddenly it made sense. "What did they promise you?"

"They?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about."

Akito looked down at his hands. "They said I could go. If I could convince you. They'd put me on payroll somewhere and let me live my life."

"But don't you see, Akito? You can do that anyway! You don't need anyone's permission to make your own decisions." It was an epiphany that Kyouya himself had only recently come to terms with. "You don't have to let father control you."

Wordlessly, Akito stood and walked out of the room, shutting the door as he went.

Kyouya watched him go, staring at the closed door. He had always known that Akito's aspirations were not in line with those of their father, but to go this far? His father, and Yuuichi, and practically blackmailed Akito. How far were they willing to go to reclaim the power in the family that they thought they were owed?

"One more year," Kyouya whispered to himself.

Thank you for reading! I'd really appreciate your feedback, so don't forget to leave a review! See you in chapter 7!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: If you made it this far, thank you so much! On a side note, I am thinking about starting another story and I would love some recommendations! You can pm me too. And thanks to **Lemieuux **for the review! I hope you enjoy chapter seven!

It took awhile for everything to begin to return to normal, but as with most challenges that the Host Club faced, they overcame it together. Finally, the time had come for the hosts' beach trip. They arrived at the beach house early in the day, hoping to get in some swim time before their guests arrived.

The seven hosts stood at the edge of the water, looking out for a moment over the sparkling waves.

"Yay!" Hunny cheered as he charged into the water in his bunny swim trunks. Mori followed close behind, keeping a close eye on his cousin.

Haruhi backed away from the water, heading to the blanket and umbrella she had set up when they arrived. Whatever swimsuit she was wearing was hidden by a light yellow cover up. Tamaki started to follow her, probably to ask why she wasn't swimming, when he stopped and looked at Kyouya. Things were still a bit awkward when Haruhi was concerned.

Kyouya decided to follow her instead, waving Tamaki off. He stopped just in front of her towel. "Not interested in swimming? We came here for you, after all."

Normally he would expect her to give some sort of explanation, but she was still feeling a bit shy around him. "I just, uh…"

Kyouya sat on the blanket beside her. "I was joking." The two had been on three more dates, since their first, and they had gone well. He just wished she'd be more comfortable around him, like she used to be. "You don't have to swim."

She smiled at him. "Thanks, Kyouya-senpai. I do want to, just not yet." After her slip up at breakfast weeks before, Haruhi had been careful to include the honorific.

"You don't mind if I sit here with you, do you?"

Haruhi shook her head, still smiling. "If you want to."

Kyouya stretched his legs out, burying his bare feet into the warm sand. He watched the twins chase Tamaki up and down the shore, trying to throw handfuls of seaweed at him, extra ammunition in the pockets of their swim trunks: pink for Hikaru and blue for Kaoru. Kyouya realized that, with the exception of Haruhi, he was the last of the hosts with a shirt on. He pulled it off, over his head, and set it on the blanket behind him.

There was a gentle breeze coming off the water, cutting through the early July heat. The weather was absolutely perfect, and, from the cheerful expression on Hunny's face, the water must've also been a pleasant temperature. He glanced at Haruhi to see her lying on her back, already caught up in a book. Kyouya laid on his side, propping his head up with one hand.

"What are you reading?"

Haruhi laid the book down on her chest, turning her head to look at him. "It's summer homework for my literature class," she explained.

"Are you enjoying it?"

She shrugged a bit. "It's okay. Nothing special."

"Then why don't you come swimming with me?" he asked.

Haruhi glanced down at his exposed torso, noticing his lack of shirt for the first time. "I, uh…" Her face began to turn, what Kyouya thought to be, a delightful shade of pink.

"Well?"

Haruhi sighed, sitting up and setting her book off to one side. "It's just, I know the other guys are gonna be weird if I take off my swimsuit cover," she explained. "And I really don't feel like getting prodded and picked up or whatever." Her concern was quite realistic. Almost every time in the past that Haruhi had worn anything especially cute or partially revealing, Tamaki and the twins had been all over her.

"I'll make sure they don't," Kyouya assured her. She looked like she might argue for a moment, but she knew Kyouya would be good to his word. After the last trip to the beach house, and the intruders who had harassed their guests and pushed Haruhi off of the cliff, Kyouya had stationed members of the Black Onion Squad around the premises. If Tamaki, Hikaru, or Kaoru said or did anything to make Haruhi uncomfortable, all Kyouya had to do was signal to the closest guard.

Haruhi stood up, Kyouya following suit, and removed her swimsuit cover, revealing a sweet, pink and white one piece. "I was supposed to wear this when we visited your family's resort," Haruhi commented. "But, because of Tamaki-senpai, I didn't really have a chance."

"You look wonderful," Kyouya said softly, taking her hand for a moment. She really did look lovely. Even though pink was far from her favorite color, it did look very nice on her.

"You look nice too, senpai," Haruhi replied, looking away. Kyouya glanced down at his simple, dark purple swimsuit and shrugged to himself.

The two walked side by side toward the water. It didn't take long for Haruhi to attract the eyes of the other club members. "That's the swimsuit our grandmother designed!" the twins cheered, running over, but stopping a respectful distance away when they saw the look in Kyouya's eyes. "Lookin' good!"

"You really do look super cute, Haru-chan!" Hunny added from his place on Mori's shoulders. "Alright, Takashi! Dive, dive, dive!" The pair disappeared into a wave as Tamaki approached.

The host king rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at his feet. "You look, uh, nice, Haruhi." Tamaki glanced at Kyouya as if making sure he wasn't crossing an imaginary line.

Kyouya set his arm across Haruhi's shoulders and Tamaki looked away, following the twins back to the sand castle they had been working on. Haruhi watched them go, frowning a bit. Kyouya noticed and made a mental note to ask her about it later. He continued into the water, shivering lightly as the cool water licked at his feet, then ankles, stopping when the water was at his waist.

Haruhi moved into the water more slowly. "Too cold?" Kyouya asked, teasing her a bit. She shot him a slight glare as she continued at her own pace. When she reached Kyouya, the water was almost at her chest.

Hikaru and Kaoru had stormed back into the water, leaving a dejected looking Tamaki with a recently destroyed sand castle. "Hey Haruhi!" Hikaru called. "Come play with us!"

"Yeah, come on, Haruhi!" Kaoru chimed in. They swam out into deeper water and started diving into waves as they rolled toward shore.

Haruhi glanced at Kyouya. "Do you want to come too, senpai?"

"I'll watch," Kyouya decided. They didn't need to do everything together, after all, and Kyouya wasn't a fan of getting water in his ears. Plus, he still had his glasses on. He watched as Haruhi swam over to the twins, joining in their fun.

Kyouya waded back to shore, over to where Tamaki still sat, trying desperately to get the walls of the only undamaged portion of his creation to remain standing, though it was clearly a losing battle. "Why don't you just start over?" he asked, sitting on the wet sand beside his friend.

Tamaki glanced at him, still busy with his task. "I like it the way it is," he mumbled. He wasn't just talking about the sand, and Kyouya knew it.

"I thought we were past this, Tamaki," Kyouya said, patting a bit of crumbling sand back into place.

"We are. I mean, I was." The host king sighed, allowing the wall to tumble to the ground. "I've just been thinking…"

When he didn't continue, Kyouya prompted him. "About?"

"About the future. Everything is changing. And it's not just you and Haruhi," Tamaki began. "Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai are moving on, off to college. They'll make new friends. And we only have a year left. It feels like our family is falling apart…" He pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

"Just because they make new friends doesn't mean they won't have time to hang out with us. And you'll make new friends, now, and when we're finished with high school. Just think about the incoming hosts."

This snapped Tamaki out of his bad mood. "New hosts?" he asked, perking up. "What do you mean?"

"Well, with Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai graduating, the club was down to five members. With our growing number of clients, there was no way for five of us can handle the demand," Kyouya explained. "We have a significant number of applicants from the middle school and the high school."

"No way!" Tamaki's eyes were shining. "That's incredible! Can I see?"

While speaking, Tamaki had leaned closer and closer, ending up right in Kyouya's face. Kyouya raised a hand and, using one finger, guided Tamaki's face away from him. "Later. We have only a short time before we have to prepare for our guests." And by 'prepare', Kyouya meant 'have Haruhi get changed'. Somehow, despite her outfit at the dance for the Ouran fair, the student body still had not figured out that Haruhi was, in fact, a girl. They assumed she was just crossdressing, mostly, and those who thought she might be a girl were convinced otherwise by their friends. The people of his generation could be quite disappointing.

"Later, then," Tamaki agreed, looking quite content. They spent a few minutes chatting, watching the others playing in the waves.

Finally, it was time. Haruhi disappeared into the changing area before reemerging in a t-shirt and shorts. She was not at all disappointed that everyone still thought she was a boy. Despite the fact that Haruhi did wear feminine clothing occasionally in her free time, she still preferred pants and a button up to the poofy yellow dresses worn by the female high schoolers.

It wasn't too long after that that the guests began to arrive. Kyouya had 'invited' twenty of their more regular guests, for a hefty price, of course.

The rest of the afternoon was peaceful. The girls and the hosts swam together, played games on the beach, and enjoyed the day. There were a few times that Kyouya had to shut down inappropriate activities, such as playing chicken, that were either possibly dangerous or involved too much touching, or both. The other hosts never thought about it, but a little mistake could quickly become a lawsuit. The only problem that occured was when one of the girls cut her foot on a shell, but the cut was small and not deep, and she was fine once preferred host, Tamaki, started fretting over her.

When the sun began getting low in the sky, it was time for dinner. The beach house staff prepared an American style barbecue, at Tamaki's request. Kyouya didn't care much for the most of it, being so heavy and sticky, but everyone else seemed to at least enjoy the novelty of it. Afterwards they send goodbye to the girls and headed back to the beach house. Hunny insisted they have dessert together before bed, even though dessert had been provided with dinner.

"You can never have too many sweets!" Hunny had giggled, knowing that no one would say no to him. The little blond man devoured an entire cake, as well as a selection of other sweets, and promptly fell asleep. Mori carried his cousin off to their rooms.

"We should be going to bed too," Kaoru decided, stretching his arms above his head. "We have brunch with the girls in the morning."

"Plus we need a shower," Hikaru added. Though they had put on shirts for dinner, none of the hosts had a chance to freshen up.

And then it was just Kyouya and Haruhi. And Tamaki. "What about you, Tamaki?"

"You said we could look at the applicants!" Tamaki reminded him brightly, still very excited with the prospect of new club members.

"And we will. I'll meet you in your room in," he paused to glance at his phone. "An hour."

Tamaki whimpered, not happy with the idea of having to wait even longer, but he obediently departed.

Kyouya turned to Haruhi. "Let's take a walk."

By the time they returned to the beach, the sun was nearly set. Only a gentle orange glow illuminated the darkening coast. The pair walked slowly across the sand. "You know, Haruhi," Kyouya stopped walking when he spoke. "I've been thinking about the last time we were here."

"You mean how I tried to stop those guys from harassing our guests?" Haruhi asked, tucking a stray bit of hair behind one ear.

Kyouya shook his head, smiling. "Not exactly. I was thinking about something you said to me that night. When we were in my room." Even though he couldn't see it, he could guess that the blush that had been adorning her features more and more frequently had returned. "You told me I would never want to be with you because there would be nothing for me to gain."

"Yeah, I remember…" Haruhi looked out toward the water. "You were helping Tamaki teach me a lesson."

While he wanted to correct her, Kyouya chose to stay focused. If that's what she believed, that was fine, but his actions had nothing to do with Tamaki. He touched her cheek, tilting her head back toward him so that he could look into her eyes. "I want you to know how wrong you were. You are a brilliant person, Haruhi. Just in the time you've been at Ouran, I've seen what you can do. You've changed all of us, changed us for the better. Being with you is a privilege. Don't ever forget that by standing at your side, I have already gained everything."

"Kyouya…" Her voice was almost too soft to hear.

Kyouya placed his other hand on her side, drawing her close, and kissed her. The softness of her lips was more brilliant each time they met with his. He pulled her even closer, their bodies touching, and Haruhi's arms wrapped around his neck. Kyouya could almost feel her heart racing along with his. When she finally pulled away, his body went cold, craving her heat.

Haruhi smiled up at him shyly. Kyouya had a hard time ignoring the explicit thoughts that were flooding his mind. He took a step back, trying to calm himself. "Are you cold? We can go back in," Kyouya offered, clearing his throat.

"Uh, yeah," Haruhi agreed. "Plus I'm sure Tamaki-senpai is waiting for you. You're showing him the applicants for the club?"

Kyouya nodded as they started back toward the beach house. "I've already narrowed it down, as you know, so no matter who he picks, it should be fine."

Haruhi laughed. "You really are the shadow king. I wonder if Tamaki-senpai knows about everything you do behind the scenes."

"He knows none of it," Kyouya replied, holding the door open for her. "And that's just the way I like it."

They walked together through the halls to Haruhi's room. Haruhi looked up at him, hand on the door. "Well, good night, senpai."

Kyouya placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. "Goodnight Haruhi."

Thanks for reading chapter 7! I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Let me know what you think of the story, and where you think it should go! See you in chapter 8!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I feel sooooo dumb. So, I didn't really like this chapter. I decided to rewrite it and swap it out for the original. EXCEPT I only deleted the original. And didn't post the new one. I am sooooo sorry. Also, I'm having a tough time with where this story should go. Leave comments/suggestions in a review or PM me please!

Also, I thought I'd toss this in if anyone was curious

Approximate Timeline

Year 1, Mid May - Beach Day - Chapter 1

Year 1, Mid November - Ouran Fair - Chapter 2, Part 1

Year 2, Late March - Spring Vacation - Chapter 2, Part 2 & Chapter 3 & Chapter 4

Year 2, Early April - New School Year Begins

Year 2, Early May - Family Breakfasts - Chapter 5 & Chapter 6

Year 2, Mid July - Summer Break - Chapter 7 & Chapter 8

Of the many students who submitted applications to fill the vacancies in the host club, Kyouya had narrowed the candidates to the dozen that he thought would make the best additions to the club. With Hunny and Mori going off to college, the club was down by one wild-type host and one loli-type host, so Kyouya had kept that in mind.

Kyouya stopped by his room to grab a folder before joining the impatient, overeager Tamaki. He sat across the small table from him and set the students' pictures and brief biographies out for Tamaki to see.

As expected, one of the finalists caught the king's attention. "A girl?!"

Kyouya nodded, adjusting his glasses. He had expected this reaction, considering that the host club was all boys. Well, there was Haruhi of course, but as far as their classmates were concerned, Haruhi was a boy. "Very perceptive, Tamaki. Yes, that is a girl. Incoming second year student Hana Murasaki. She is an infrequent client of the club and typically requests Hunny-senpai or Haruhi."

"But we're a host club," Tamaki said awkwardly.

"And? I took a brief poll with our monthly newsletter and a fair number of clients said they would consider requesting a female host. Murasaki-san might also be able to attract some male clients."

Tamaki frowned. "We have a monthly newsletter?"

Kyouya sighed, rubbing his forehead. Could he not have a serious interaction with Tamaki without getting a massive headache? "We can come back to her. Let's look at the others."

After nearly an hour of discussion, they managed to narrow the pool down to four candidates. Besides Hana, the remaining candidates were incoming high school first years Satoshi Takahashi and Riku Ishimoto, and a middle school student in his final year named Kenji Komazawa. All four had impressive grades, were near the top of their respective classes, and were from impressive families, just like the club's founding members.

"Well, Tamaki? What do you think?" Kyouya asked, beginning to lose his patience. He had expected a long conversation, but this was getting ridiculous.

Tamaki continued to stare at the pictures intently, sitting forward in his seat.

Trying to further the conversation, Kyouya continued. "If we are looking to fulfill the wild-type and loli-type host positions, the two best candidates would be Takahashi-san, as the wild-type, considering his quiet and mysterious personality, and Komazawa-san as the loli-type, as he his small for his age and enjoys cute things, much like Hunny senpai."

"Hmmm," was all Tamaki answered.

Kyouya groaned internally. This was becoming an unprecedented pain. He should have just picked them himself, as Haruhi had suggested. "Murasaki-san would also make a good loli-type. And having two loli-types, one boy and one girl, wouldn't be a bad thing. Ishimoto-san would probably be a princely-type, like yourself." This certainly caught the king's attention. "Though he is far more subdued than yourself."

"Alright then, Kyouya," Tamaki said, sitting up straight. "It's decided. They will all join the club!"

The shadow king deadpanned. That was not what he had been expecting, or hoping for. Of course, he had considered that this could be a possibility… "All four of them." Kyouya said slowly, a glare forming behind his glasses as he watched Tamaki seem to shrink into his chair.

"Yes?" Tamaki squeaked, glancing around the room as if preparing to flee.

Kyouya maintained his gaze for a moment before sighing and leaning his head against his hand. "All four of them."

Handling the addition of just two new club members would have taken a lot of time and paperwork; this was going to be a miserable process.

The following day went well, the guests enjoying playing in the water and sand with the hosts. Just before lunch time, though, the trip was coming to an end. Cars began to arrive for the guests and, later, for the hosts. Kyouya stood outside the beach house, watching as Mori and Hunny were driven away. The Hiitachins were getting into their car as well. Tamaki's car was waiting, but apparently he had forgotten something in the house and went back to retrieve it. Haruhi was still packing her things.

"He's been gone for a while," Kyouya mumbled, checking his watch as Hikaru and Kaoru departed. He decided to go check on what was keeping him. He moved through the silent halls of the soon to be empty mansion. As he approached the doors that lead to the rooms the host club members used when visiting, he could hear voices. He frowned a bit when he realized they were coming from Haruhi's room and decided to move closer, listening.

"I-I just had to tell you…" That was undoubtedly Tamaki's voice.

"Uh, I'm, um, I'm not sure why you…" came Haruhi's reply. Kyouya could hear her discomfort in her voice. He reached for the door but froze when Tamaki spoke again, his voice louder.

"Because- Because-," Tamaki was struggling to get his words out. "Because you should be with me! Not him!"

A tightness began to form in Kyouya's chest and throat. Was he really hearing this? Was his best friend confessing his love to his girlfriend? He took a half step back from the door, not knowing how to react. His instinct was to be angry, to rush in and demand that Tamaki leave. But that's not what Haruhi would want. What should he-

He didn't need to think of a response, because Haruhi already had. "What do you think you're doing here, Tamaki-senpai?" Kyouya almost feel her anger growing. "Did you really think that I'd just leave Kyouya because you asked?! You must be out of your mind!"

"What do you even see in him? I could treat you so much better! He never even smiles!" Tamaki's aggression, and possibly also desperation, were growing. Kyouya wondered if part of it was how Haruhi had said his name so familiarly.

"I don't have to tell you anything, Tamaki-senpai! And if you think that, you clearly don't know him! He's a really wonderful person, unlike whoever your jealousy is turning you into!"

The silence that followed her response was deafening.

"Haruhi, I…" The blond host's voice was so soft that Kyouya had to strain to make out the words.

"No, Tamaki-senpai." Haruhi's words firm, but her anger was gone. "You don't get to do this. You don't get to barge into my room, act the way you did, and expect me to forgive you… Not right now. I think you should leave, senpai."

Kyouya rapped his knuckles against the door. "Haruhi? Do you need help with your things?" He called, pretending not to have heard any of the exchange. This was between Haruhi and Tamaki.

It was Tamaki who opened the door, a happy go lucky smile plastered poorly over his features. "Mon ami! It seems you're too late! I've already offered my assistance."

"Oh, so you found whatever you forgot?"

"What?" Tamaki shot a quick glance at Haruhi. "Oh, uh, yes, I did. And if you're here to help, I suppose I'll let myself out! Bye!" He moved past Kyouya and out the door, closing it behind him.

Kyouya walked over to Haruhi and sat on the edge of her bed. "Need any help with that?" The contents of her suitcase were still scattered on the floor.

Haruhi sat on the bed beside him. "Kyouya-senpai, I have to tell you-"

"I heard. It's fine."

Her eyes widened. "Oh…" She looked a bit embarrassed.

Kyouya leaned closer to her. "I'm wonderful, am I?" he teased, enjoying the blush that began to appear as a result. "Well, Haruhi?" He tilted her chin up slowly. When she didn't reply, he kissed her. He had been waiting since the day before to do this. There had been so many moments when he had needed to remind himself to keep his hands off of her, not to stand so close, especially when the clients were around. Now it was just the two of them.

Haruhi's eyes closed, moving her lip along with his. Kyouya pushed her back, carefully, onto the bed, propping himself up beside her. She gasped softly, pulling away a bit to look at him. Kyouya knew at that moment that he wanted to spend the rest of his life looking into her warm, chocolate eyes. They had been official now for just over three months, though they had really only warmed up to each other after their first few dates. But Kyouya had never felt this way about anyone before. Sure, he'd gone on dates, and he'd even had a few girlfriends, though none of his relationships lasted more than a couple of weeks. Why was this so different with her? Was this love?

He could see it, looking back; all the times that his heart beat just a little faster, or he caught himself staring at her for seemingly no reason, or took a second look in the mirror to fix his hair when he knew he would be seeing her. Maybe Kyouya had known at all of those times, how he felt about her, but pushed his feelings aside for any number of reasons.

Brushing his fingertips along her cheek, her jaw, her lips… This must be love.

"Kyouya…"

This was almost the exact same as the last time they had come to the beach house. He wondered if her heart was racing as fast as his. Every inch of Kyouya's body begged him to continue. To kiss her, to touch her, to…

It was Haruhi who pulled him back into the kiss, a gentle touch on his cheek to guide his lips back to her own, tangling her fingers in his hair. With every touch, his control over himself seemed to lessen. Kyouya sat back for just long enough to pull his shirt over his head. Her eyes widened as she watched and he smirked, relishing her attention and reactions. He felt alive. He returned his lips to hers, a bit rougher this time. He shivered when he felt her fingers tracing the muscles of his chest, his stomach, running along his waist... Kyouya slid his hand underneath the hem of her shirt, her actions fueling him. Haruhi was so warm, so soft, as he moved his hand across her stomach. A bit higher... She tensed and he half expected her to push him away.

"Can I…?" He could barely believe it when she nodded, biting her lip gently. Kyouya was surprised to feel lace against his finger tips. He hadn't expected her to wear something so feminine, but he was quite please. Kyouya's lips moved to Haruhi's neck, kissing and nibbling, careful not to leave a mark. The sound that escaped Haruhi's lips was almost too much. His hand delved beneath the layer of lace. How her skin could have gotten even softer was a mystery. He wanted more. God, he _needed_ more.

Kyouya didn't even hear the door open.

"Hey, Haruhi, listen, I just wanted to say-"

The tension in the room was palpable. Tamaki stood just inside of the doorway, his face blank, processing the scene before him: Haruhi, on her back, on the bed; Kyouya beside her, hand inside her shirt, touching her-

Kyouya knew that he had a few options and little time to sort through them. Tamaki's emotional capacity had been expanding recently as he worked through his feelings about Haruhi, finally tapping into sadness and anger that he had always forced down for as long as Kyouya had known him, so he had no doubt that his friend was about to explode. One option, maybe the best option, would be to remove his hand, to sit up, to talk, to explain, to reason.

But this other side of him, this part of him that Haruhi drew out, that wanted to protect her and keep her and love her, preferred a different option. Because Kyouya could stay just as he was, he could fight back, he could show Tamaki his true face of; because as much as he tried to maintain his role of shadow king, keeping his emotions masked from even his closest friends and family, and as much as he wanted to keep the peace in the group, he was tired. He was the one who had to comfort Tamaki and help Tamaki, the one who had to leash Hikaru and pacify Kaoru, the one to bear the looks of judgement from his seniors who, despite his best efforts, could see what he truly was.

Unfortunately, Kyouya's deliberation took too long, or he had underestimated how long Tamaki would take to process. When the host club king had first found out about Haruhi and Kyouya he had gone from anger to sadness to desperation. Apparently Tamaki was back to anger. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Tamaki's words seemed to unfreeze Haruhi, who quickly pushed Kyouya's hand away and sat up, wrapping her arms around her chest. Kyouya moved to his feet, taking a deep breath that did nothing to help the hurricane of emotions devastating his mind. "I'd ask you the same thing." His voice was ice. Kyouya was willing to do a lot for his friend, to put things aside, to sit by him through tough times, but watching Tamaki go behind his back twice in the same day to speak to Haruhi, to convince her to be with him instead, this was too much.

The smallest spark of fear lit in Tamaki's eyes but he held his ground. "How could you take advantage of her like that?" he accused, glancing at Haruhi before locking his gaze on Kyouya. "This is why she shouldn't be with you! You just do whatever the hell you want with no regard for anyone else!"

"Do you mean with no regard for you?" Kyouya sounded a bit like a beast now, a sort of growl to his voice. "As if I should prioritize your wants before everything else in my life like always?"

"Of course not! I mean no regard for her! You wait until no one else is around and you take advantage of her! You're an adult and she's just a kid! You are a disgusting-"

Tamaki stopped short when Haruhi stood up. Both boys watched her as she took a moment to collect herself. Kyouya was prepared for a sudden burst of anger from her as he had seen before, but he wasn't ready for what she was actually going to do.

Haruhi took a step forward, facing Tamaki. "You have to stop. I know you're having trouble dealing with this, but you've gone too far. Kyouya doesn't do anything that I don't want him to do." Her face looked about as red as Kyouya's face felt. "Implying that he would be going against my wishes makes me wonder if you know him at all. You have to stop, Tamaki-senpai, or I'm quitting the club."

Kyouya noticed that her hand was shaking, just enough that he could notice. He touched her hand gently and she squeezed his fingers.

"Don't say that, Haruhi.." Tamaki whispered. All color had drained from his face. Haruhi had never spoken to him like this before. Sure, she had yelled at him, scolded him, but this kind of seriousness, this ultimatum of sorts, was the most terrifying for him. "I-I'm just trying to help you, I'm just-"

Haruhi shook her head. "No, senpai. You need to leave."

When the door shut behind Tamaki, the two finished packing Haruhi's bag in silence and Kyouya pulled his shirt back on. They walked back through the halls and out of the front doors where Kyouya's car was waiting. While they drove, Haruhi called her panicked father, assuring him that she was fine and on her way. When they reached her house, Kyouya kissed her deeply, longing for her to stay with him, to go back to the beach house. He wanted to take her away and keep her happy and safe. Of course, that wasn't possible. They were only high school students, after all, and they both had fathers that were watching closely. And even if it was possible, she wouldn't want that.

Kyouya opened Haruhi's door as Tachibana gathered Haruhi's bags. Ranka met them at the door, his hands clasped together by his face. "The happy couple returns!" he cooed, allowing Tachibana in with the bags. "Did you all have fun? Tell me you at least swam a little, Haruhi. Oh, Kyouya, you should've seen her when she was young! We would go to the beach all the time, and she'd run around in the water! You know, I think I have some videos-"

"For another time, dad," Haruhi interrupted him. Based on her expression, Haruhi was not ready for Kyouya to see embarrassing moments from her childhood, especially given what had just occurred back at the beach house.

Kyouya said his goodbyes and got back in his car. "Back home," he instructed Tachibana. It had been a long two days and he was ready to be home. When they pulled up to the house, Kyouya let out a string of curses seeing another car was there waiting. "Who the hell could that be?" he snarled, wrenching open the car door before Tachibana had a chance to.

Inside the house, Kyouya was startled to see the number of people. All of his family, extended family, and some important business partners of the Ootori Group were milling around the estate's large entry. This was the last thing that he wanted to do: socialize. Kyouya took what felt like the hundredth deep breath he had taken that day and buried his thoughts to come back to later. Fuyumi ran up to him and huffed. "You're late! I was worried you weren't going to be here in time!"

"In time for what? What's going on, Fuyumi? Why are all of these people here?" Kyouya asked. All he had really wanted to do was get some work done, to turn in early, to text Haruhi, but that clearly wasn't happening. If the rest of his break was as eventful as the first half of the summer, he would be pressed to get his school work done in addition to his other work. Plus he would probably lose his mind.

Before he got his answer, everyone was herded into the large dining room. Kyouya was seated between Fuyumi and Akito. Things were still a bit tense between the two youngest Ootori children. Next to Akito was Yuuichi, and then their parents. Kyouya recognized almost all of the others seated down the sides of the unreasonably long table, but he still couldn't figure out what was going on.

Drinks and appetizers were served and small talk started around the table. Akito was avoiding Kyouya's gaze, conversing with Yuuichi. A clinking drew his attention and Kyouya turned toward his sister to see that she and Shido were standing, Shido tapping a butter knife gently against his glass of champagne. "Thank you for coming, everyone," he started. "And thank you, Yoshio-san for being so generous as to host."

Now it was Fuyumi's turn to speak. "We have an announcement," she said, smiling at her husband. Her hand that wasn't holding her glass moved to her stomach. Only now did Kyouya notice that her glass was filled with water. "Shido and I are expecting!" Polite clapping greeted the happy couple. Closer family and friends called out their congratulations as the two reclaimed their seats. Fuyumi looked to Kyouya, beaming.

"Congratulations." Kyouya's words might have been less than excited, but his sister was clearly pleased with the smile on his face. "How far are you?"

"Four months!" Fuyumi announced brightly. Looking closely, Kyoya could find the barely noticable bump. "Father and mother have known for a while. Mother actually guessed it!" she laughed.

Large hands descended onto Fuyumi's shoulders. Akito grinned at her, Yuuichi standing beside him. Kyouya focused on his plate as his older siblings talked. It was almost funny, hearing the differences between his brothers. Where Yuuichi said "Congratulations, Fuyumi" with a slight smile, Akito was far more involved, cheering "I'm going to be an uncle!" and, with Fuyumi's permission, touched her stomach.

Kyouya couldn't contain his laughter when Akito said, in a firm voice, "If it's a boy you should name it Akito the second, and if it's a girl you should name it Akiko!"

Akito and Kyouya met eyes for a moment. Kyouya offered a slight smile and Akito's temporarily fallen grin returned tenfold. It seemed that things were okay between them. The two youngest children could never stay mad at each other. Even when they were children, bickering about something silly, Fuyumi would make them hug and be friends again. Maybe everything was finally calming down at home, returning to some semblance of normal.

His father's cold gaze let him know that he was very, very wrong.

Thanks for reading. Really. It means a lot to me.


End file.
